PNE fans call for butter pies

Forget chicken balti, steak and kidney and even meat and potato – these Preston North End fans want the humble butter pie back at Deepdale.

Jonny Cooper, and Karl Moore, both 24, have started an Internet campaign to get the savoury snack back on the menu.

Butter pies were a favourite among Preston fans until 2007 when the firm which made them – Plungington-based Ashworth Foods Ltd – ceased trading.

Now the Walton-le-Dale men are appealing to pie giants Hollands who have taken over as PNE's official supplier.

Jonny, who studies construction at Preston College, said: "After finding out that butter pies were not being sold again this season at Deepdale, we created a group on Facebook to see if anyone else would like to see them back.

"After just four days of it being up and running, it already has 53 members.

"A pint and a pie is part of the football experience and my favourite is a butter pie. I was quite upset when I found out they were not being made a couple of seasons ago. It seems quite a few people are missing them and I hope Hollands will bring them back."

The pair also hope to get enough signatures for a petition to give to PNE and Hollands Pies bosses.

Karl, of Walton Park, Walton-le-Dale, said: "If you asked anywhere else in the country for a butter pie, you'd get the strangest look."

David Rowlands, head of marketing at Hollands Pies, said: "We have launched butter pies in the past and it has not been successful.

"We can't commit to anything but we are prepared to look at it as a new product."

A spokesman for Preston North End said: "We did make inquiries when Hollands took over the contract. They said they would look into it so we will see how that goes."

Show your support - visit Facebook, sign in, search 'butter pies' and join the group